Identity
by Midnight Emperor
Summary: The nuclear disaster has been avoided, all thanks to a new hero named Splitter. However, the strain of his power put him in a coma. Now, armed with only the name he gave them, Peter Petrelli and his team is on a quest to discover the man's real identity.


_Chapter 1: Shimmer and Light_

**_Why are there so many people who hide behind an imaginary name, something that completely masks their identity? Are we afraid that our differences will render us unqualified for friendship? For many, there is safety and comfort in hiding, because exposing your name is the first step to exposing yourself, your personality, and your life…_**

New dewdrops on the trees glistened under the light of the full moon. It was early December and already a slow and steady decline in temperature was taking place. Aiden Lee walked among the trees and shivered. He was wearing three layers of clothing and was still freezing. He looked over his Biology note cards one last time while walking through the grove of trees.

Aiden suddenly looked up. He has heard a rustle somewhere nearby. He looked around, but there was no one to be seen. Suddenly, there it was again. He turned quickly this time and noticed a…shimmer. That was the only way he could describe it. The trees seemed to shimmer. Aiden edged his way to the concrete path leading out of the grove of trees. Suddenly, a figure jumped out of thin air at him. Aiden was quick on his feet and dodged out of the way at the last second.

The figure started to laugh, but not maniacally. "Ethan!" Aiden hissed.

Ethan Sage emerged from the shadows of the trees and took off his hood. "How did you know I was coming?" he laughed.

Ethan Sage was Aiden's best friend. He was six feet tall, well-built, and blonde. In other words, he always turned a few heads while walking down the road. Aiden, on the other hand, was shorter by 6 inches and a little chubby. He had always been surprised that Ethan became his best friend.

"You shimmered again," Aiden said tiredly.

"Really? Damn. No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to get it down," Ethan said.

"Don't push it. You've only had this ability for about 6 months. And aren't you supposed to be studying for finals next week?" Aiden asked.

"I was taking a break. How's it going for you?"

"I'm done for tonight," Aiden said and headed back towards his dorm. Ethan followed.

As Aiden walked back with Ethan, he couldn't help but think about what had transpired the last six months. Five months back, Ethan has confessed to him that he was "different." Aiden was still helping him work out the kinks, but credible sources, material, and research on the matter was hard to come by. What Aiden feared was the growing uneasiness he had been feeling lately. Somehow, he felt as if something was coming…

_"I'm just saying that I think it's about time for us to start looking for the sword,"_ Hiro Nakamura said in Japanese.

_"And where do you want to start looking? That newspaper stand over there, that looks promising,"_ Ando Masahashi replied.

Hiro and Ando walked down a street of New York, heading towards a diner where a friend, Peter Petrelli was waiting for them.

_"It's destiny that I should have it,"_ Hiro said.

_"If it's destiny, then you'll get it no matter what."_

Hiro smiled with glee. _"Maybe it'll have some special power….the 21st century lightsaber,"_ Hiro said.

"_Maybe it'll just be really sharp,"_ Ando laughed.

Hiro ignored his comment and focused back on trying to find this possibly enchanted masamune. They finally came to the diner, a small hole in the wall, and walked in. Peter was sitting at the table, reading a newspaper with the headline: "Nathan Petrelli's New Plan." Peter's brother, Nathan, had recently won a congressional election. Peter looked up as the two entered and smirked, "Can you believe this? Disaster's avoided and already he's got a new plan."

"Your brother work very hard," Hiro said.

"Yeah, I guess. He's only trying to create one of the biggest cover-ups in history," Peter said.

Peter was referring to the near nuclear disaster that happened only the week before. Theodore Sprague had escaped to New York, with catastrophic consequences. As Sprague's mental state continued to deteriorate, his ability to control his power dwindled as well. In an attempt to control the number of lives lost, the FBI issued a terrorist strike warning, resulting in the evacuation of a large part of the city. Audrey Hanson, an FBI agent who has experienced Sprague's power firsthand allowed Peter and his team to enter the area. Peter, who has the ability to absorb others' abilities, took it upon himself to try and contain Sprague's power. Unfortunately, Sprague's power was too unstable to be managed. It was only in the final seconds, when it seemed that Peter would literally explode, that another power contained Sprague's.

"How is Splitter?" Ando asked Peter.

"Still in a coma as of this morning," Peter said.

"And his identity?" Ando asked.

"Nathan's looking into it, but there's still nothing yet. You know, that's the problem with superhero names, they don't help when you're unconscious. We can't even contact his family because he didn't give us his real name," Peter said.

Ando and Hiro nodded; it was better that they don't create names for themselves. In those final moments, a man named Splitter had divided up Sprague's power between Peter and the entire team. This effort was so straining that it put him into a comatose state. The team's efforts were now dedicated to finding the identity of this man who had entered their lives only briefly, but had saved them all.

Peter's cell phone suddenly rang. He picked it up and answered. "Hello?...Yeah…Really?...Okay…We'll be right there," he said and hung up.

He looked over at Ando and Hiro and smiled, "That was Mohinder. Micah was able to restore the data from the computer."

Hiro's eyes opened wide. "We have list?"

Peter nodded as he stood up. "Yup, the hard drive's working again. I don't know how much they've recovered, but it was enough to get Mohinder to call. Let's go."

The three packed up their belongings quickly and left for Mohinder Suresh's apartment. The list, which had been deemed destroyed when Sylar invaded Mohinder's apartment a week and a half ago, had been restored with Micah Sander's powers. The list contained the names and abilities of every "gifted" person Mohinder's father has found. It seemed that finally, the identity of this man Splitter would be revealed…

**To Be Continued in **_Chapter 2: What They Want…_


End file.
